This invention is directed to laminates having latent elastic properties provided by a latent polymer applied to at least one elastic member, and methods of making the laminates, as well as products incorporating the laminates.
Many personal care products contain elastic laminate components in such areas as leg gaskets, waistbands, and side panels. These elastic laminates provide a variety of functionalities including one-size-fits-all capability, conformance of the product on the user, sustained fit over time, leakage protection, and improved absorbency, for example.
Most conventional elastic laminate materials are produced and subsequently incorporated into an end product, rather than being produced in-situ. The elastic character of the laminate makes it challenging to manipulate the laminate when trimming or slitting the material, as well as when incorporating the material into an end product. In addition, for many elastic laminate materials, it is difficult to hold down the laminate for trimming and slitting by applying conventional vacuum techniques because of the low-density, highly porous nature of the nonwoven facings between which the elastomeric member is positioned. Although high levels of meltblown adhesive covering the entire laminate may result in the laminate being more conducive to being vacuum controlled, excess meltblown adhesive may create undue stiffness and unnecessary costs.
Thermoplastic elastomers and their blends and compounds have varying levels of inherent set characteristics, resulting in “latent” elastic behavior. Elasticity retrieval is most commonly performed by heat shrinking, although several other methods may be employed, including chemical and microwave treatment. Although latent elastic polymers simplify material handling during conversion processes, many latent elastic polymer applications lack sufficient retraction forces.
There is thus a need or desire for elastic laminate materials that can be easily controlled during converting processes without sacrificing elastomeric properties.